The Blog

MEET OLIVIA TURNER

As both of my parents are health-care professionals, being healthy was an important part of my lifestyle growing up. My sisters and I were always encouraged to participate in sports as often as possible and eat healthy meals. Unfortunately, as I got older, health became less important to me. I stopped exercising as frequently and ate badly. It was crazy how much I could really feel a change in my body. I was constantly getting sick and my hair, nails, and skin were unhealthy. I always felt bad. It wasn’t until I joined track at my high school that I realized what I had been doing to myself. As soon as I began exercising regularly, I started to actually need food with nutrition to continue. It truly helped to build my strength back up and become an overall healthier person. Since then, I have become passionate about health awareness and my experience at ITT has intensified that. Connecting with staff members and fellow interns, as well as attendees at The ITT Summit, has been so valuable to me.

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MEET SISSI MATTOX

I was one of those unbelievably lucky children who never had to beg for a pony at Christmas because I already had one. No other aspect of my life has taught me about health as much as horses. Anyone who has ridden is familiar with the crippling soreness that you experience in your lower body if you’re not accustomed to engaging those muscles. To be a good rider, you have to take care of your own body with the same kind of vigilance you care for your horse.

There is no ideal rider body type, just like there is no ideal horse build. Every shape and size of horse imaginable exists, from the “easy keepers” whose owners inevitably joke could live off air alone to those whose owners have to pay special attention trying to add pounds to their skinny frames.

I joined IT’S TIME TEXAS because I would like to bring the focus of health and performance found in the horse world into the “real world”. A horse with its ribs and spine showing or one with a huge overweight stomach is not going to be able to compete with one whose health has been tended to. I would love nothing more than if we could shift the focus of people, especially young women, from size to strength and health.